Clarkston City Council to consider year-long contract with Carlisle/Wortman Associates

CLARKSTON — City Council members will consider a one-year contract with Carlisle/Wortman Associates, a planning and municipal services management company, to handle the city’s building services.
The council has already approved the concept of paying Carlisle/Wortman $600 a month for services but will consider the final contract at the council meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 23, at the offices at 375 Depot St.
The city has been exploring changes to its building department, since City Manager Carol Eberhardt took over this spring. For more than 20 years, the city contracted with Sy Stone, who collected 70 percent of the city’s building permit fees, while the city received 30 percent of the fees.
“There were a lot of complaints about fees that were being charged,” Council member Richard Bisio said, adding that some of the fees were two to three times higher than other municipalities.
So, the city hired Carlisle/Wortman to do a $500 study, examining building fees in the area. The Ann Arbor-based company, which has an office in Davisburg, proposed a new fee structure that the council adopted in August.
The city terminated its contract with Stone and began talks with Carlisle/Wortman, which also works as Clarkston’s city planner, to take over services for a year. If the council approves the pact, Carlisle/Wortman will review site plans, issue permits and order inspections for the city.
Local residents and builders will continue to go to city hall or the website, www.villageofclarkston.org, for permit applications and to schedule inspections. Besides lower rates, the arrangement will mean building services will be available five days a week whereas Stone only provided services two or three days a week.
“The problem with a one-man building department is the fees have to be high enough to make it worth his while, but it’s not fair to the residents,” Eberhardt said.
Carlisle/Wortman handles building services for other municipalities as well including Springfield Township.
“I think it’s a good change,” Bisio said. “The only reason I raised some objections and a couple of other people did at the last meeting at approving the contract, the contract was not explicit enough about splitting responsibilities between the company and our staff.”